Google, YouTube knock-offs tip up in China

Knock-off copies of both Google and YouTube web sites have emerged in China, following the international brouhaha kicked off by Google's hacking allegations.

YouTubecn.com is running videos culled from Google-owned YouTube, which is blocked in China, whilst a Google imitation called Goojje looks a lot like the US search engine but does ask Google not to quit China.

"I did this as a public service," the founder of the YouTube knockoff, Li Senhe, told the Christian Science Monitor.

The site is in English and carries some videos the Chinese authorities might prefer not to see. YouTube was blocked in China in 2008.

Goojje resembles a mix of Google its Chinese competitor, Baidu. A spokesman for the setup told local hacks: "Exactly speaking, Goojje is not a search engine but a platform for finding friends."